How a community can become a work of art

The festival’s success led to a second and a third event and so on, with residencies, installations, performances and videos in addition to ten more murals. Says Kolberg: “We saw the walls

of buildings as the canvas on which we wanted to paint our future.” The two festivals, she said, have been a catalyst for at least half a dozen new businesses. The project’s curator,

Charlotte Dutoit of JustKids, says Fort Smith “hadn’t seen so many people downtown in decades. It really woke up the town.” 4. CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA On Yard Art Day, neighbors display

their creative creations (such as this lawn chair by artist Linda Vista). Photo by Deborah Triplett, YardArtDay.org A grassroots arts exhibition “curated by the community for the community,”

Yard Art Day began in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Labor Day in 2012. Now an annual Labor Day event, Yard Art Day encourages Charlotte residents of all ages to participate in a

community-wide art installation by creating and displaying art on their front lawns, balconies and—for the lawnand balcony-less—even the tops of cars. The only display rule: The art must be

visible from the street. The 24-hour free event runs from midnight to midnight and defines art as all types of creative talent, including poetry, storytelling and dancing. Examples of recent

artistic expressions range from traditional paintings, sculptures and crafts to white picket fences temporary transformed by bright watercolor paint and colored tape, beautiful dresses

hanging from a crepe myrtle tree, even the lawn-upholstered lawn chair seen above. (An extensive gallery of Yard Art creativity is on display at YardArtDay.org.) “It is my dream that for one

day people remember that child within them that likes to play creatively without any judgment or restraint,” writes photographer Deborah Triplett, the event’s founder. “For us to cross

neighborhood, city boundaries. To be inclusive. Art can do this.” And it has. 5. FAIRBANKS, ALASKA A real result of Fairbanks’ annual street art competition — cleaner water! Photo by Jackson

Fox (as used in Where We Live, published by AARP in 2018) Storm drains from the streets of Fairbanks empty directly into the Chena River, a habitat for moose, beaver, fish and migratory

birds. Unfortunately, many people mistakenly believed the drains connect directly to the sewage-treatment plant, and used them to dispose of harmful substances like used motor oil. To change

that harmful behavior in an educational and creative way, the Tanana Valley Watershed Association teamed up with the Fairbanks city government and local businesses. Established in 2014, the

Storm Drain Art Contest seeks proposals for street art based on the themes Storm Water Pollution (to draw attention to litter, vehicle fluids and pet waste), Wildlife (art featuring native

birds, fish and mammals) and Quality of Life (focusing on the life-giving and recreational uses of water). Proposals are put to a public vote, and the chosen artists—who range widely in age

and experience—are commissioned to create their scenes using Fairbanks’ street grates, sidewalks and roadways as their canvas, earning $100 for the work and $50 for materials. (Partners

include the Fairbanks Storm Water Advisory Committee and the Downtown Association of Fairbanks.) Improvements in water quality since the contest began have led to national recognition for

the city’s environmental eorts. In another beautification project, Cushman Street, one of Fairbanks’ main thoroughfares, was upgraded by bringing three chaotic traffic lanes down to two;

adding trees, planters and better lighting; and improving the roadway’s traffic signals, directional signage and street drains. Embossed into the iron of the new drains are the words “Dump

No Waste” because runoff “Drains to River.” _This article is adapted from the "Arts, Entertainment and Fun" chapter of the AARP book Where We Live: Communities for All Ages — 100+

Inspiring Examples From America’s Community Leaders (2017). _ MORE ART! THE MAGIC OF MURALS See what David Bowie, Maya Angelou, Alan Jackson, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and a

mermaid have in common: TAKE A LOOK! More from AARP.org/Livable  Use the dropdown to choose a livability topic. Select a Subject